Walt Disney | Mickey Mouse Voice | Side By Side Comparison
On November 1st 1940, Walt Disney released the short film Mr. Mouse Takes A Trip. While it was nothing special at the time, it has since grown some historical significance, as Walt Disney himself was filmed recording his lines as Mickey Mouse for it, making it one of the only times he was shown doing his voice on camera. Alongside him is actor Billy Bletcher the voice of Pete.
I've synced up the filmed recording session, with the final short for this side by side comparison, as well as footage of Disney sound effects head, Jimmy MacDonald, and his team making some of the sound effects featured in a cartoon like this. Enjoy!
Bret Iwan | Mickey Mouse Voice Here:
• Bret Iwan | Mickey Mou...
Clips From:
Mr. Mouse Takes A Trip (1940)
Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Living Color, Volume 2 (Bonus Features): Walt Disney Performing the Voice of Mickey (2005)
Disneyland S2 Ep 18: A Day in the Life of Donald Duck (1956)
The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Living Color, Volume 2 (Bonus Features): The Voice Behind the Mouse (2005)
The Disney Family Album S1 Ep 4: Jimmy MacDonald (1984)
ALL OF THE ABOVE CLIPS ARE OWNED BY THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY I OWN NONE
If you enjoyed video, please check out the rest of my voice actor side by side comparison videos right here kzhead.info/channel/PL56u7OVDBiPaVoOoCMJ-43rJgJ65v4dNv.html Also if you have any suggestions about voice actors you'd like to see share them in comments. Please only recommend actors where you know of footage of them performing as their characters.
:)
As a casual audiophile, the craziest thing about this video to me is how far away they stood from the mic in those days.
You made my day, my week, my month with this single video! Loooooove the side by side😍🌟 Subscribed 💯 to watch more of this. Well done, love it!
Marvelous work 👏
The fact Walt Disney went that far for Mickey Mouse by voicing him himself is very commendable.
I recall reading he couldn't find anyone you do the voice the way he wanted so he did it himself. Literally the embodiment of "You want something done right, do it yourself"
@@kicapanmanis1060and when he had to step down from the role due to all his smoking, he left it to his right hand man that wasn’t Roy, Jimmy MacDonald. And when he then stepped down, we got the extremely iconic Wayne Allwine.
Reminds me of how Brad Bird voiced Edna Mode in the Incredibles, because he couldn’t find a VA he thought would fit her.
His voice was funny and perfect for her lol
@@kicapanmanis1060Casting Director: Mr. Disney, I’ve gone through every actor we could find, but I still haven’t found a voice for your mouse! Walt Disney: Fine, I’ll do it myself.
What I find fascinating is not just Walt being the voice for Mickey, but also Billy Bletcher being only 5'2" and yet having a powerful commanding booming baritone voice.
I know right, it's so interesting how such a big voice can come out of a small person, yet a small voice can come out of big person.
Yeah Billy just had that voice
Proof that anyone can have a deep voice regardless of height
@@goldenopportunity4544 that’s what made Billy Blecha awesome is that he was 5 foot two but he had a deep voice
You might also remember Billy Bletcher as the hilariously-abusive Papa Bear from the Looney Tunes Three Bears parody shorts. (The ones with "Jyun-yer Bear". :P)
I had zero idea that Walt voiced Mickey. Thats insane.
He voiced Mickey from the 1920s all the way to the late 40s, when he was too busy to do it.
@@ricarleite He also had a Nasty 4 Pack a Day Cigarette habit. It ruined his ability to do the voice.
Yeah i cant believe i didnt know lol. He actually did good body language too, im surprised they didnt stop to laugh
He also voiced Minnie for a while. Mostly for the earlier shorts.
Honestly the only reason this fact threw me for a loop was because of this video full of idiots who insisted that he only voiced Mickey in the first cartoon he spoke in
It's insane that there's footage of him literally doing the voice
Yeah
daily reminder, disney was never anti semitic, a lot of his cartoonists were jewish. liberal media are liars and h@cks
Fus ro Dah!
@@TheKennethfilm 🐉
Yeah, literally...
Fun fact: When Roy Disney was making the opening speech for Walt Disney World in 1971, he spontaneously called up the Mickey Mouse character to stand beside him. When asked why he did that, he said "I needed my brother near me". Mickey truly IS Walt Disney.
Oh that was a few months before he died too. That’s crazy
That is so bittersweet, it’s so beautiful. 🥹 Now that is what true family values is all about.
I absolutely remember this episode as a kid and just literally discovered that Walt himself was Mickey’s voice just a few minutes ago
IKR?
Ya I totally believe you😊😊
Lok
Yup, Disney HIMSELF was the original voice of Mickey Mouse.
Yeah, same... I mean, kinda. I knew that, but I thought he just voiced him during the early days of Disney (the animation studio), the early animations of the 30s... yet here it is, a fully colorized cartoon, and Walt is Mickey's voice!
I went wide-eyed when I saw pete’s VA was born in the 1800s. Granted it was the 1890s, but wow, really puts into perspective how old yet still relatively new modern animation and synchronized animated voice acting is. That’s crazy, because the 1800s feel like so long ago, but in the grand scheme of things it really wasn’t.
If you think that's something, Otis Harlan, the voice of Happy in Snow White and the Seven was born in 1865. He was in his 70s when he made Snow White, and is the earliest born person to work on a Disney film.
Funny when I realized how freakin young the U.S. actually is. Do you realize that the time between 1900 and 2022 is very close to the amount of time between 1776 and 1900? For context, July 4th, 1776 is when the Declaration of Independence happened and we cut ties with Britain and because our own thing. Birth of America as an independent country. That's 124 years before 1900, which itself is only 122 years ago from today.
You had Civil War veterans still alive back then
Yup. Modern animation and bicycles, newer than you'd think.
@@Axxidous And Walt was born at the halfway point (c. 1901).
Walt's Mickey has the same vibe as Jim Henson's Kermit. It's not a voice that's been tuned to perfection like their successors, but it feels natural. They could just turn the voice on and talk forever in character without sounding strained after a while.
Except that over time, because Walt was a chain smoker, the Mickey voice became straining on his vocal chords, so he named sound effects man Jimmy MacDonald to succeed him.
To be honest, I find Classic cartoons even more fun to watch when you think about how sound effects are made! Just imagine what it’s like making sounds for a Tom and Jerry cartoon
Here's Something: What's one thing Mickey Mouse and Tom have in common, they're both voiced by their creators as Tom and Jerry co-creator William Hanna did Tom's screams in the original cartoons.
@@gabrieldassi8591 I saw that video even before you sent, but while it's an interesting idea, I'm sticking a pin in it for now, because it's gonna be a bit tricky. Maybe some day though.
Lies again? Wedding Divorce
So true.
@@Thomas_H._Smithyep that’s true. And the sound effects for the cartoons were made by Walt’s successor for Mickey. Very true about Tom’s screams being from William Hanna. The original cat screams were I believe Harry E. Lang when rumored for a long time to have been Donald Duck’s voice actor Clarence Nash.
Mickey's laugh at 2:21 is so iconic and absolutely adorable! I think Walt did a great job creating his voice 👍
What's so funny to me is seeing him scream right after
To bad, he died back in 1966
The pure joy in Billy and Walt's face gives me life.
it's the most human video i've ever seen of him
@@KiowaKonkeror oh i don't doubt his sincerity to art. very few producers would've ever made Fantasia (as evidenced by the current Disney company)
@Mark Aspen Walt wasn't a nice guy actually.
@@bryant7542 how so?
@@bryant7542 He was. He hated ni...
It's weird to see the apparently towering Walt voice the Mouse while the much shorter Billy voiced the big villain.
Exactly Disney is taller than Billy Bletcher and he’s the villain of this shot
it becomes more surreal when you remember that Walt was a powerful hollywood tycoon and Billy was just a regular voice actor. Walt is smirking at having to pretend to be afraid of him
@@lancerutt9936 Iluminati or only Masón 33 Walt Disney 🤔?
How is it wierd , this happens all the time in voice acting
It's more of irony than weird
It's kinda uncanny seeing Walt, while wearing a suit, doing the voice of Mickey, but kind of wholesome at the same time
2:32 After they switched the turns they looked directly into the camera... love it !
Walt Disney seems like the nicest guy on Earth. Genuine, down to Earth and loved his craft plenty.
“seems” is the key word
@@user-ic8ek1jb9mYES
But he wasn't
@@armyshope True, he can be harsh and demanding sometimes, but he's genuinely a good, decent guy.
@@annien.1727 that's not what I meant
I used to watch a bunch of Disney cartoons and classics as a young lass, and I only RECENTLY found out that Walt Disney himself was the original voice of Mickey! Like... WOW!!!!
It's actually somewhat common that cartoon creators voice their own stuff. Alex Hirch, who created Gravity Falls, voiced Mcgucket, Soos, Stan and Bill.
I didn't know that until watching this video now
And don’t forget Dan Povenmire, one of the creators of Phineas and Ferb, who voiced our beloved Doofenshmirtz!
That's actually very common. He wasn't famous or wealthy when he started voicing Mickey.
Walt Disney did a great job as Mickey Mouse. Rest In Peace Walt Disney
You can tell how much the original voice actors had so much fun doing their roles. Also, it suprises me Walt Disney himself voiced Mickey. Explains why Mickey has become Disney's mascot for years.
2:05 I like how Walt is mouthing along to Pete's lines ^^
2:32 love how they swap voices
I love he just basically points at Billy
Love seeing how they made the sound effects using practical means.
They didn't have soundbanks back then if you wanted a sound you had to make it yourself. Soundmaster used to be a profession a lot like propmaster.
Basically the birth of foley artistry.
I love how all Mickey Mouse VA’s collectively agree that they’re just filling in for Walt 🥲
Everyone talking about the voice acting, meanwhile I can't get over the jolly expression and playfulness on everyone's face. Especially Walt pointing to Billy as the voice changes for Mickey at 2:29
1:08 "SEE?!" This is EXCELLENT detail for kids to laugh at! Putting the sound effect on the same time AND right after the voice line builds up the joyful mood, and I felt it!
0:36 i love watching Walt fix his tie
It's so fascinating seeing the sounds effects and characters being voiced in real life! Makes me remember theres actually people behind the voices.
2:16 MEEEEEEEOWWWWWWWW
I just love how Walt was smiling at that bit, goes to show how much he loves his job back then.
The fact that, the Big Guy, Walt Disney, has a squeaky Voice, while the Small Guy, Billy Bletcher, has a deep voice, makes this much more funnier.
The fact there's a recording of them behind the scenes is breathtaking yet hilarious.
I think the best part of this footage is you can see Walt Disney channeling how much he finds Billy Bletcher's performance funny into his nervous Mickey laugh.
Amazing how Walt Disney is not only a filmmaker but also a actor he’s the og voice of Mickey Mouse
He won most Oscars as well in total. Also real asshole boss as well.
2:30 Mickey and Pluto disappear for a frame
Is still insane how these two could make such nice voices for their characters.
I loved how when Mickey changed his voice, it was Pete's VA....
1:50 I saw something like this from the making of “Fun & Fancy Free”.
You can tell Walt and Bill we’re having fun recording this episode.
0:53 That's how they made a sound effect early Disney animation development
Wow I was finding evidence for walt voicing him and I love the side b side comparison. The sound effects being made live are so mesmerizing as well, thanks for this video XD
2:36 CONDUCTOR!!!
I LOVE stumbling into little gems like this on KZhead especially since this short was one of my favorites. Seeing Billy do some method acting while recording his lines puts a smile on my face.
It's so amazing at the time they didn't have modern computer technology that cartoon creators now take for granted to make these old cartoon sound effects like the original mickey mouse and looney tunes to name a couple. It's good to see how they had to create the sound effects by hands. RIP to the legendary walt disney! Now i'm off to pleasure island with pinnochio and lampwick! 😅
2:20 watching Walt Disney do Mickey Mouse's laugh in real time just warms the heart from the inside out 😭
There's something special about seeing how cartoons were made back then. No CGI, no electronic equipment for sound effects(they still used recording equipment, I mean like not using a computer program with sound effects), just whatever can be found in your own house and using vocal effects, makes me miss 2d animation. Edit: I can't believe how short Billy Bletcher is compared to Walt.
2:42 I love this laugh by Disney himself.
One of the ULTIMATE “If you want it done best, do it yourself” moments in hollywood.
Also it’ll save you having to pay someone else to do it.
I love the accent Walt had for Mickey, it does sound cute but also has a 'regular guy' kinda vibe to it. 'Quiet, Pluto! You don't wanno get thrown out, do ya?' 1:28 Stay quiet and I'll let-chya out'
Never mentioned that Mr Walt Disney was the voice actor of Mickey OMG!!!
Yeah, and Steamboat Willie was the first cartoon in sound, so technically, Walt was the world's first animation voice actor.
His constant cigar consumption forced Mr. Disney himself to let another person to take his place
@@Thomas_H._Smith I understand that Walt was interested in steam trains from his time as a Farm boy. I don't know if his hobby was meant to be referenced in his early day's I understand that it really come out until after WW2? I understand his hobby was referenced in saving Mr Banks as a picture of the Lily Belle is visible behind the wall behind Disney's desk
There has been a few times where Walt voiced Mickey and was given credit. Though it wasn't till much later that Walt had to give up the mantle to another actor. Between smoking, working on various projects and overseeing Disneyland, his schedule was pretty tight. Not only did he create his invention, voiced it too~ Though I swear everytime I look at OG Mickey I swore he just re-drew Oswald and made adjustments.
Rest in peace Walt Disney, it’s your company’s 100th Anniversary and Mickey Mouse’s birthday passed last week
1:00 special effects ! 😝
I like how they look at each to her doing the voices
This channel deserves more recognition! I've always been a big fan of voice actors (both in the West and the East)... There's something absolutely mesmerizing for me about people who can act so much with just the sounds and voices they create. Foley and animation're a close second too! To see more people take an interest in the people who make the magic happen behind... it really warms my heart. I look forward to seeing you make more of these in the near future! 😊
That means a lot to me, especially since these videos aren't as popular as some of my others, despite being what I'm more passionate and interested in.
This is probably one of my all time favorites. I can’t get over how cool this is!
I wish this was an option for every cartoon.
This is the Disney I appreciate. So wholesome, so pure.
This reminded me how much I love animation 😍 The amount of complexity, creativity, and collaboration that goes into a single episode takes my breath away!
I didn’t know Walt voiced Mickey. I love that.
I knew that Walt originally voiced him, thanks to What's My Line where Walt was a guest. near the end, he said he made his voice lower because going high would've been "the mouse". but it's still wild to see it happen
OH I'm still surprised how Walt Disney himself gave his voice to Mickey Mouse, it's really cool and nice how he plays him and above all, his laugh as Mickey is adorable, he truly gave his soul to the character, a thousand praises for him!; and really I love the special effects of that time. Looking at the scenes compared, both Walt and Billy Bletcher are actually acting as if they are in the itself short plus their expressions, and I'm sure it would be almost impossible for both of them to contain the laughter because of the comedy of the scene, I can't help but laugh either. 2:14-2:15 XXXXDDDD I died of laughter very very much
omg this is so cooooll! thank you so much
It's giving me such uncanny vibes seeing Walt voice acting. My mind can't take it that it's real.
Why? Why you can't take it?
0:45 omg so this is where it's from - they have this line in one of the d23 montage videos
The guy who voiced Pete lived from the late 1890s to 1979???! That is insane!! He was alive when Disney World opened and almost made it to the 80s!!
Never got to see all of the footage before! I loved Walt’s expressions through out. Masterful video!
walts voice is the best one no one can beat that
Wayne Allwine was a close second.
Walts just having so much fun with this! I love that 💜
This is golden, such a joy to watch, thanks for doing this!
All these huge efforts to make us smile when we were kids. All love and respect to these heroes. Will always love you.
This was so neat to watch. Thank you!
Beautiful
Amazing, mind-blowing, a masterwork!
Foley sound effects are so cool to see. I love seeing old behind the scenes movie footage like this and seeing all of the Foley sound effects.
It's so sweet to see Disney having such a grand old time, along with all the other VAs.
Omg this is too cool! I've never seen Walt do Mickey's voice especially not side by side by the cartoon. It's so surreal...💜
2:27 this sound effect is my favorite and amazing
Yeah, I remember this one! I swear, I keep forgetting that Walt was the one who did the voices of Mickey at some point, even well after the early days. Billy's performance is just amazing tho, and watching it live is honestly both impressive and hilarious!
Walt Disney said that Mickey Mouse was pretty much his inner child. I think the same thing could be said about Jim Henson in which he put a lot of himself into Kermit. Some creators love doing that.
The fact that I watched this in the year 2000 growing up speaks to it's quality
This was great to watch! Thank you for uploading this!
Thank you so much for making this I've been looking for this
What a sweet treasure :) I honestly did not know Walt voiced Mickey Mouse. And those foley artists are just a joy to watch.
I'm sure old Walt is turning over in his grave if he knew what the current Walt Disney is doing today.
Nazi sympathiser
@@spiderfandom7592 I'm guessing you were debating your comment was either going to include Nazi or Racist, am I right? Funny how a different opinion than yours and all of a sudden I'm a sympathizer of Nazi's. Try to be more original, you woke jackal who regurgitates the same insults as the rest of your party of outcast chaos sympathizers.
@@adjacentchannel Nothing more in Chaos than the republicans my guy go be a triggered snowfalke elsewhere
@@spiderfandom7592 Only one who's triggered is you. Also, being called a " Triggered Snowflake " doesn't bother me as much as you think. I'm sure it hurts more when others say that to you, which I'm sure is often. Why else would you call me a Nazi over my comment?
You gonna cry baby girl?
It’s the fact that its 2023 and I’m just now figuring out that Walt Disney is the one who voiced Mickey Mouse 😳
Your Work is Great. Excellent memories!
This is amazing, I'ma big Walt fan and have never seen him do the voice-over! So interesting! Thanks for uploading!
This is fantastic! I never realized they'd made a live recording of Walt doing Mickey's voice - although I did know he'd voiced Mickey from his inception through "Mickey and the Beanstalk." Money was probably the reason he did Mickey's voice - things were very tight when he was created, so Walt stepped up to the plate himself. Another joy was watching Billy Bletcher perform. Like many voice actors, you can see he's having a good time, with his facial expressions matching the characters on the screen. Among his other credits include "The Big Bad Wolf" for Disney, and "Pa Bear," for the Warner Brothers "Three Bears" series. Your matching the voice actors and sound efforts with what appears on screen is absolutely flawless. I believe that Disney also did a live-action presentation of the song "He's the Tramp" from "Lady and the Tramp." You might want to look into that one for a future project.
Thank you so much for uploading this ❤️
Walt made Mickey's laugh sound sooo cute 😍
Now wait a second, I never knew Walt Disney himself voiced Mickey Mouse
this is sooo cool 😭 i love all their dedication and imaginations and hard work
I was surprised when I first found out that Walt did the voice for Mickey originally, cause I always hear him having his deep voice and just see him look like the type of guy who couldn’t do the Mickey voice, but then again, this was when he was young, and almost anyone can do the Mickey voice.
I remember watching this on my VHS as a kid and god I miss the old Disney when Disney Channel plays the old Mickey Mouse Cartoon 😊
Awesome, very heartwarming video. Seems they all had lots of fun doing this job.
I love how Walt fixed his tie stylishly before doing the voice
That was amazing and magical to witness, thank you so much :)
Bro, these Mickey cartoons were the best. Not too old but not too modern either. This was my favorite era
Agreed. Miss this Era.
Nostalgic and amazing 👏 😍 💖 so professionally
2:16 walt trying to hold his laugh
This is simply amazing!
Working in sound design in the 40s and 50s must’ve been a real hoot!
thank you, this is incredble